Touched by our greatest Canadian, Terry Fox. By Kim Appleton
“Grandma, why does he only have one leg?”
This was my only real concern as a 4 year old watching Terry Fox approach my Grandmother and I on the side of Hwy 11/17, otherwise known as the Trans Canada. It was September 1980 just east of Thunder Bay, Ontario and I was truly mesmerized by this boy who was running toward me. As he approached I reached up and put a $5 bill into the bucket; the driver of the run-down Winnebago was holding out the window and smiled, we made eye contact as Terry hobbled by – a moment, even at 4 years old, I will never forget.
I could never have known that those would be some of the last few steps the incredible young boy would take. I do remember asking many more questions after he ran by, why? How? What for? And it wasn’t until I was much older that I really was able to understand what an amazing feat he had undertaken.
This memory has been such an incredible inspiration in my life. My youth was spent as a competitive swimmer and I can recall on more than one occasion when I felt like giving up, or even that the workout was just too hard – thinking ‘Terry ran all that way, on his own, because he believed he could.’
Life throws us challenges all the time and I can honestly say each time I think about that moment on the side of Hwy 11/17 I really do feel a little extra jolt of passion, of desire, of purpose and it often helps me take that next step.
Thank you Terry Fox – for being truly an incredible inspiration.